Cleveland Cavaliers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 4/8/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021

Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports OK

Odds/Point Spread: Cleveland (-3)

Chesapeake Energy Arena is the site where and the Oklahoma City Thunder (20-30) will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (18-32) on Thursday. Oklahoma City opens this contest as 3-point dogs. The O/U opens at 212.

The Cleveland Cavaliers faced off with the San Antonio Spurs and took home the win by a score of 125-101 in their last contest. Cleveland ended the game having earned a 52.3% FG percentage (45 of 86) and knocked down 12 of their 34 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Cavaliers buried 23 of 27 attempts for a percentage of 85.2%. When discussing rebounding, they compiled 47 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 29 assists for this game as well as forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When it comes to defending, Cleveland allowed the other team to go 42.2% from the floor on 35 of 83 shooting. San Antonio doled out 22 assists and had 4 steals for the game. On top of that, San Antonio grabbed 38 boards (8 offensive, 30 defensive) and added 4 blocked shots. San Antonio finished 81.3% at the free throw line by converting 26 of 32 attempts. They made 5 out of their 26 attempts from beyond the arc.

Darius Garland is someone who was a major factor in the matchup. He scored 37 points on 14 out of 22 shooting. He played 29:59 minutes played and totaled 1 rebound. Garland finished the game at 63.6% from the floor and also recorded 7 assists. Another guy that was a major contributor in this matchup for the Cavaliers was Collin Sexton. He snagged 3 rebounds in his 33:59 minutes on the court. He ended up going 41.2% from the floor for the game by shooting 7-of-17 (22 points). When the final whistle was blown, Sexton accounted for 5 assists.

Cleveland comes into this matchup with a record of 18-32 for the campaign. They turn it over 15.5 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 18.9 fouls every game. As a unit, Cleveland is grabbing 42.9 boards per game and has racked up 1,165 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 24th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. The Cavaliers are shooting 33.5% on three-point shots (468 of 1,398) and 73.1% from the free throw line. They average 103.1 pts per contest (30th in the NBA) while connecting on 45.0% from the floor. When they are on defense, the Cavaliers are forcing their opponents into 15.2 turnovers every game and they draw 20.1 personal fouls. They currently rank 11th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,214 relinquished this season. The Cavaliers defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 47.8% (759 of 1,007) and they relinquish 43.9 boards per game as a group. They surrender 38.2% on 3-pointers and they rank 11th in the NBA in points per game allowed (111.0).

When they last played, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a loss by a score of 132-108 when they faced the Detroit Pistons. The Thunder were able to pull down 29 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds totaling 42 for the contest. They coughed up the ball 15 times, while earning 10 steals in this contest. The Pistons earned 20 personal fouls in the game which took the Thunder to the charity stripe for 25 shots. They were able to bury 21 of them for a rate of 84.0%. In terms of shots from distance, Oklahoma City buried 5 of 27 attempts (18.5%). When the final whistle was blown, the Thunder shot 41 for 97 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.3%. The Thunder allowed the Pistons to convert 49 of 95 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.6% in the matchup. They finished shooting 46.4% from distance by connecting on 13 out of 28 and finished the game at 21 out of 24 at the free throw line (87.5%). When discussing cleaning the glass, Oklahoma City allowed Detroit to collect 50 in total (13 on the offensive side).

Aleksej Pokusevski was important for the Thunder for the game. He made 8 out of 19 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 42.1%, and had 4 rebounds. Pokusevski totaled 19 points in his 31:30 mins on the hardwood, but went home with no dimes. Someone else who came through for Oklahoma City was Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. He came away with 2 assists in his 26:11 mins played, and he shot 5 out of 10 from the floor. Mykhailiuk walked away from this one going 50.0% from the field and also totaling 17 points and 3 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss record of 20-30 this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Thunder are shooting 44.5% from the floor, which ranks them 27th in the league. Oklahoma City has accounted for 5,290 points for the campaign (105.8 per contest) and they pull down 44.9 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 22.3 times per game (28th in basketball) and they are turning it over 15.2 times per contest. The Thunder have committed 17.8 fouls per game and they shoot 73.9% from the free throw line. The Thunder are ranked 22nd in the league in PPG surrendered with 113.5. The Oklahoma City defense gives up 35.6% on 3-pointers (649 of 1,825) and their opposition knocks down 76.5% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 24.9 assists and 47.3 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 17th and 27th in basketball. They are forcing 12.9 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 46.9% from the field (18th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cleveland (-3)

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